Harrisburg

Harrisburg, capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the largest city on the main course of the Susquehanna River, a river to which the city's identity is inherently linked. Trademarked by its magnificent riverfront setting and ever-growing skyline, the city unveils a panorama of urban vitality and architectural heritage. Founded in 1785 and designated State Capital in 1810, Harrisburg served as an early gateway to western migration and later grew into a major transportation center. It was this riverfront and this community that General Robert E. Lee so desperately sought to turn the tide of war in the Confederacy's favor, a goal that ultimately would evade him. With many mansions of the period still distinguishing Harrisburg's famous Front Street, behind which rises the magnificent Italian Renaissance-styled dome of the State Capitol Building, Harrisburg looks westward across the mile-wide expanse of scenic beauty toward the head of the Cumberland Valley; passage to the south with the Shenandoah beyond.